Calls for a cease-fire are a mistake. For decades to come, October 7 will now shape Israel as the victim of the third-deadliest global terrorist attack since data collection began in 1970[1]. Hamas will not stop and a ceasefire now would send a dangerous message to Iran and its proxies. Hamas have now rejected five ceasefire proposals. At a time of heightened tension in the Middle East, the international community is called to honestly support Israel’s objectives.

The danger of committing to a ceasefire with Hamas

Calls for a permanent cease-fire—as opposed to a short pause in fighting are a mistake. Untold international pressure is put on Israel, by the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and others, unanimous in their determination to see an end to this war without achieving its objectives, and while keeping Hamas the governing entity in Gaza. Calls for a ceasefire fail to appreciate the enormity of what happened on October 7, not just in its barbarity but in its strategic significance. In agreeing to the illusion of a “permanent cease-fire”, that will certainly not be respected by Hamas as history shows, Israel will expose itself, once again, to a deadly security threat…